Glaucoma, one of the world’s leading causes of preventable blindness, threatens the eye health of approximately 2 million people in Turkey alone. Prof. Dr. Ümit Aykan claims that glaucoma progresses insidiously without showing any symptoms and causes irreversible damage to the eye: “Especially after 35 years, everyone can develop glaucoma, and if left untreated, it can lead to blindness (vision loss). Early diagnosis and treatment are very important for glaucoma, also known as eye pressure. The main reason for this is that lost vision is never recovered. At whatever level we find the disease, we can only keep it at that level. This is possible only with very serious observation and careful treatment”.
An eye examination at least once a year is essential for early diagnosis
Prof. Dr. Aykan spoke about how the symptoms of glaucoma are not easy to notice, and when they are noticed, it may be too late for treatment: “Symptoms differ depending on whether the glaucoma is open-angle or narrow-angle. Open-angle glaucoma is an insidious disease. Since intraocular pressure in patients rises slowly, damage to the optic nerve progresses slowly. Therefore, patients do not feel pain. The narrow-angle type develops faster. There is loss of vision, severe pain, and bleeding. For this reason, in no case should one neglect the measurement of eye pressure at least once a year until the age of 40,” he warned.
Genetic factors come to the fore in such an insidious disease as glaucoma
Claiming that everyone is at serious risk after a certain age, Prof. Dr. Aykan said: “Increased eye pressure can lead to damage to the optic nerve. For this reason, it is very important to regularly assess the condition of the optic nerves and the thickness of the optic fibers using modern devices. The most important risk group for glaucoma is those who have first-degree relatives, such as a mother, father, brother, or sister, who have glaucoma. Under normal circumstances, about 2% of people aged 40 and over are at risk of developing glaucoma. If a first-degree relative has glaucoma, this risk increases by about 6 times. If there is myopia or diabetes, the risk increases by 2 times”.
Those with low blood pressure and those who have sleep problems beware!
Claiming that diabetics and people with myopia are twice as likely to develop glaucoma, Prof. Dr. Aykan points out that people with low blood pressure and those who have trouble sleeping at night should be closely monitored for their risk of glaucoma. Prof. Dr. Aykan emphasized that glaucoma requires careful monitoring: "Glaucoma is a dangerous disease that can cause sudden, irreversible loss of vision without any pain”.
Glaucoma can also be treated with medication
While stating that glaucoma can also be treated with medications such as eye drops, Prof. Dr. Aykan explained that surgery and a laser can also be used for treatment if needed. Prof. Dr. Aykan said: “In the early stages of the disease, medical treatment will be sufficient to treat the disease. However, early diagnosis is very important for this. Because vision that is lost can never be regained. For this reason, people should have eye examinations at regular intervals after a certain age. In necessary cases, we can also resort to surgical and laser interventions in the treatment”.
